Surge Protector - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 12-24-2014, 03:01 PM   #1
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Surge Protector

I have been camping in a fifth wheel going on ten years. I have never had a surge wipe out my electronics, but I am ready to to buy a surge protector just in case. I have seen all different kinds with different price ranges and just wanted to reach out to the community to get opinions.

I am wondering if it is a "get what you pay for" kind of thing or will any of them work?

Also, is there a way to mount it inside the RV (basement, etc.) I would prefer someone doesn't have the ability to swipe a couple hundred dollar item while I am away from the RV.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance!!
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Old 12-24-2014, 03:09 PM   #2
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Funny this thread popped up....I have a Progressive Industries EMS-PT50C. I chose the pedestal hook up vs hard wired because I can connect to the pedestal to check power before I get in and setup. Check out their site, loads of info and it has a lifetime warranty...

Now the awesome part of my story...we have been on the road for the holidays. Stopped at a campground and plugged in, the display was calling 255 volts on one keg and 45 on the other...found someone else with one and tried it, showed good power. Mine was shot. Used without a protector at that campground. I emailed them yesterday, first day with Internet, they immediately responded with, call us immediately, we are closing until 5 Jan. I hunted a phone, called and explained everything, I will have one in hand today (they are in NC, I am in CA). I paid for the overnight, otherwise it would have been here Saturday....

They do have 24/7 tech support, call and leave a message, they will get back within the hour...

I purchased mine on Amazon, much cheaper. I am a true believer and their customer service has been fabulous.

Cale
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Old 12-24-2014, 04:13 PM   #3
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I have used the pedestal mount ones for years. I currently use the TRC one, believe I may have had a Progressive in the past. I have seen plenty of hard wired ones too. I don't see why you couldn't cut your cable and install plugs inside the basement to protect the portable one. FWIW in over 30 years of camping I have never had anything stolen. They do make a lock box to lock the protector to your cable if you are really worried about it.

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Old 12-24-2014, 06:19 PM   #4
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We had a similar discussion on here last year. The following is a cut & paste of a comment I made in that thread:

I asked my service guy about installing one... and he STRONGLY advised me to NOT get a hard-wired unit. Said he'd seen lots of rigs in his time come through for electrical work with one installed, and even a few units that had caught fire and were badly damaged. And all of them had trouble trying to get reimbursed for the cost of repairs.

His take was that... if Dutchmen had installed one with the build, then that'd be great. It'd be located in a convenient place... and (more importantly) if anything ever went wrong, it'd be covered under warranty.

As for an aftermarket one... he said that while they are far more convenient, in that you don't have that big, heavy, box on the end of the plug... if anything should ever go wrong with it, the hassles of trying to diagnose the trouble and/or remove it from the system completely are much more complicated.

And 'good luck' trying to prove to either Dutchmen, the dealer who installed it, or the company that made the surge protector that the problem is their fault to pay for repairs. That each would blame the other. Dutchmen would say the surge protector was defective or installed incorrectly... the surge company would say the rig electronics were defective or installed incorrectly... and the service dept. who installed it would say it was either bad wiring on the rig or the surge protector that caused it.

(and "good luck" going against their lawyers if you installed it yourself!!)

Either way, the rig owner would have to pay any repair costs up front, and then try to get reimbursed from whoever they could get to claim fault. Expect a few years before your case would ever appear in court.

All of that is avoided with a portable plug & play portable unit. There's virtually nothing to screw up. You plug the unit on the shore-power pole, plug your cord into the unit, and you're in business. Everything is self-contained, with no user modifications required.

So that was his opinion on it... take it for what it's worth.


Here's a link to the entire thread if you'd like to read through all of it:

http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...ctors-608.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by wahoonc View Post
...They do make a lock box to lock the protector to your cable if you are really worried about it.

Aaron
Yep, and I have one on the unit I use. Here's a photo I just took as I'm set up right now. Not very good, as I was looking directly into the sun... but you can get the idea:

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Old 12-24-2014, 11:45 PM   #5
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This is the one I've used for years: EMS-PT50C One was destroyed by a power surge at a campground in Florida, progressive replaced it free of charge. Very happy with unit and the company in general. A little pricey, but cheaper than replacing electronics which I've had to do before owning a surge protector at a drag strip in Bowling Green Ky. Some say they've never experienced a surge and thats great. If you do I hope you have one of these. I agree with not hardwiring one for reasons mentioned already. If its factory installed you'll have a better chance in recovery for destroyed or total loss due to malfunction or other.
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